Paradigm Shift
by Drake de Dross
Summary: Sequel to Infinite Consequences. Who said second pregnancies were easier? CLEX
1. Vogel and Johansen

Title: Paradigm Shift   
Author: Drake of Dross   
Spoilers: All Seasons, AU after "Insurgence"   
Warning: slash, mpreg, hints of past incest   
Pairing: CLex   
Summary: sequel to Infinite Consequences. Who said second pregnancies were easier?

* * *

Doctor Patrick Vogel was sixty-two years old. He was old enough to retire. He even had a bountiful retirement fund waiting for him, but his work was interesting, his partner was pleasant, and his boss was reasonable most of the time. His wife had passed on and his children were grown so his house was lonely and little more than a place he sometimes slept. The little laborotory in a back corridor of Cadmus Labs was far more his home. 

A home that was subject to rare, if memorable, tempest storms in the form of Alexander J. Luthor. Like now.

Vogel and his partner, Dr. Audrey Johansen, looked up from the racks of test tubes they were cleaning as the door burst open without warning and their employer charged inside with all the wound tension of a tightly coiled spring. That he hadn't called to tell them he was coming did not bode well. "Mr. Luthor," Vogel greeted, keeping his voice calm and even in hopes that Luthor would adopt the same characteristics.

By the force with which the door was shut behind the bald man, he supposed that had been too much to hope for.

"Vogel, Johansen," he clipped out and moved to claim a stool sitting beside a lab table. He put his arm down flat on the black fire-retardant surface, the palm of his hand up and the veins inside his elbow exposed. "You are going to need a blood sample," he told them though Vogel had already deduced that by his position alone.

As Johansen went about finding and sterilizing a syringe, Vogel asked the obvious question. "Do you believe you've mutated again or gotten pregnant again?" The answer was yes, that was a given. The only uncertainty in his question was which possibility Luthor had recently had a close encounter with.

If it was a mutation, Vogel was glad to confirm that Luthor's new power was _not_ death by glare, though given the amount of contact the young Luthor had with the meteorites, Vogel figured it was only a matter of time before he developed that one. The RGN DNA he and Audrey had been studying for four years now was becoming increasingly susceptible to mutation under certain extreme conditions as Luthor spent more and more time around the radiation.

Twice now since the birth of his daughter, he'd dropped in with reason to suspect a dramatic alteration in his genetic code. As yet, it hadn't happened, but each time had significantly increased his DNA's instability. He was due for a mutation any time now. During neither of the other visits had he been nearly as agitated as he was now. That suggested he knew for certain that something in him had changed.

Whether that change was to his DNA or to the occupancy of his mutant womb was still up for debate.

Not once had he ever come by asking if he was pregnant. The home pregnancy tests designed for women worked equally fine for him. The only reason he would come here for that purpose was if he wanted a second opinion to a result he didn't like.

So, whichever event he was expecting to have occurred, probably had.

Audrey drew his blood with professional efficiency, and Luthor didn't so much as change expression. Of course, given what Vogel knew of his medical history, Luthor had probably had more blood taken out of him than your average terminally ill patient. As she disposed of the needle and latex gloves, Luthor finally answered the question. "You'll be checking hormone levels on that."

It was only because Vogel did, eventually, want to enjoy his retirement that he managed to keep himself from chuckling, snorting, smirking, or otherwise revealing that he found the situation even remotely humorous. Which it _was_. The first time had been too shocking, too new, too immediate, too potentially lethal to really appreciate. Second pregnancies were relatively safer, especially now that they knew beyond doubt that Luthor was capable of surviving one, and it was probably still within the first week or two since conception. There was time to find it ironically amusing that the second most powerful CEO in Metropolis and the single most powerful man in Smallville could get knocked up as easily as any woman. Probably more easily, given that he didn't have a menstrual cycle.

It was a straightforward test and didn't take long to run. Audrey set it up and all three waited silently for the results. By the time it finished, the air was tense and brittle from the anticipation. Even Vogel was fidgeting a little and Audrey had moved to continue rinsing glassware just to keep her hands busy. Luthor was unnaturally still as he watched the equipment that held the potential to throw his life into upheaval once again. Watching him wait for the results unsettled Vogel, and it suddenly wasn't funny anymore.

Luthor wasn't 'any woman'. Luthor wasn't even 'any man'. Last time, he'd been only been twenty-one. He'd been a CEO even back then, but that was when LexCorp had consisted of a single fertilizer plant and a handful of research scientists like Vogel and Audrey. LexCorp, even to LexCorp employees, had only been a high-risk start-up that was likely to fail and be swallowed up by LuthorCorp any minute. It was created in defiance of Lionel Luthor and had been under attack from that quarter since its conception. There were no expectations. Lex Luthor was untested, he had no expected patterns. He was too young to be taken completely seriously. He _could_ disappear for four months and it would be taken as eccentric, irresponsible, but completely plausible rich kid behaviour.

He was twenty-five now. LexCorp had inexplicably survived. After the rough start and months of stagnant decline while Luthor hid his first pregnancy, he'd returned to the public eye and raised the company up to nearly rival LuthorCorp in only three and half years. There was no way, none at all, for him to vanish like that again. He didn't even live in that isolated castle anymore.

"It's done," Luthor noticed first. Vogel sometimes forgot the man was as knowledgable of the inner workings of a research lab as he was. Despite his familiarity, the billionaire did not approach the machine himself. Professional curtesy or reluctance to have a firm answer? Vogel didn't venture to guess, but stepped up to examine the results.

It only took a moment to confirm, and even as he turned to look at Luthor, his expression apparently gave him away. He didn't even have a chance to say anything before Luthor closed his eyes and breathed out, "Dammit."

An uncomfortable moment of silence passed while Vogel tried to think of a way to express his sympathy without coming across as trite or overly personal. It was Audrey who spoke first. "It's still very early in the pregnancy. I'm sure I can perform an abortion."

Luthor thought about it. That surprised Vogel. The scientist would have wagered that he'd agree immediately with a brusk 'Do it,' and expect them to perform the surgery right then. But he thought about it. Granted, he didn't take long, but the progress of the internal debate could almost be mapped by subtle movements of his blue eyes, a ghost of a frown, and a shift in stance.

Then he shook his head. "No," he refused firmly, shocking both scientists. He continued, apparently riding out the concluding remarks of the debate out loud, "I can spin this."

If that were true, Metropolis was more at risk to Luthor propaganda that Vogel had believed. He wondered if he ought to suggest that the young man was being overconfident. He wasn't sure how well Wall Street would take the discovery that LexCorp's CEO was a pregnant mutant freak, spin or no spin, and his concern wasn't entirely altruistic. He wanted his retirement fund, dammit, and a defunct company couldn't deliver what he'd been promised.

Audrey sounded as dubious as Vogel felt. "Well, if you change your mind, let us know."

Luthor smiled politely at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. Those were distant and a little unfocused as he ran the problem through his mind. Only once before had Vogel been around when Luthor was plotting, but it was unmistakable and a little frightening to behold. Luthor didn't pace, but Vogel almost wished he would. It would look more natural than the stiff perch on the lab stool.

Suddenly, the tension broke, and Luthor launched to his feet, pulling out his cell phone. He punched in a number, then brought it to his ear. The silence was heavy in the room while he waited for the other line to pick up. An look exchanged with Audrey proved she had no more idea what they were expected to be doing right now than Vogel had. By default, it was going to fall to eavesdropping.

"Bruce, this is Lex. I need a favor." A pause, then Luthor began to smirk in amusement. "Bruce, that was ten years ago." Another pause. Luthor was still smirking. "Look, I promise, this time I won't get you suspended." An eyeroll, and a longer pause. His expression turned more serious. "No, you're right, there is some risk. Tell me, Bruce, where's your reputation at right now?"

Luthor returned to his stool and straddled it as he listened to whatever Bruce was saying. "While I applaud that, Bruce, that's not the reputation I was talking about. I mean, will anyone believe you're not completely straight?"

Irritation and an audible sigh. "Yes, I know that was just teenaged experimentation, and no, I'm not trying to get laid." A short pause, and Vogel could almost make out a harsh bark of laughter from halfway across the room. Luthor scowled briefly, "Fine, I'm not trying to get laid by _you_. But there's going to be a museum opening in Gotham next friday and I _would_ like to take you as my date."

His scowl, which had begun to lessen as he made his offer resolidified. "No, I've not gone insane." His lips pressed into a thin white line, then "No, I'm not plotting to sabotage Wayne stock prices. LexCorp is just as much at risk-" His eyes flashed and narrowed. "Bruce. Stop before you say something I'll have to do something about. I was asking as a _friend_." Another brief pause and an annoyed shake of his head, "You know what I meant. Yes, I was asking you to the museum as more than friends, but it wasn't maliciously motivated." Another pause, longer this time. "No, just forget it, Bruce. This conversation never happened. And don't even think about trying to blackmail me with it, because I asked you in the first place because I'm _trying_ to come out. Was Scott just experimenting, too, or is he really bi?"

"Thanks anyway, Bruce. See you friday."

He flipped his phone shut then opened it up again right away. Another number was dialed. Vogel wondered just how many phone numbers Luthor knew off the top of his head. "Scott? This is Lex." A short pause. "Yeah, same here. Look, I need a favor." The annoyed expression returned to his face. "Scott, that was ten years ago."

From what Vogel could tell, the conversation with Scott went just about the same as it had with Bruce, only with more raised voices and more bad feelings when they hung up on each other. Luthor noticed Vogel and Audrey watching him and turned his scowl on them. Without warning, he smacked the lab table and stood. Not offering another word to them, he stalked from the room, punching in another phone number into his cell as he did so. "Michael, hi, this is Lex . . ."

When he was gone, Vogel turned to look at Audrey again. She smiled uncomfortably at him. His own smile back was equally shaken. "Well," she said.

"Well," he repeated.

"Less than two weeks," she stated with firm resolve, apparently out of nowhere to anyone who didn't know them.

"Done," Vogel agreed, and they shook on it. It was probably unprofessional to bet on how long it would take Luthor to decide to have the abortion, but if Audrey wanted to throw her money at him, who was he to complain? She should know by now that Luthors took longer than two weeks to realize they were wrong. He wasn't even sure they were capable of it. "Double amount, it won't happen at all."

"Done." They shook on that, too. Even if he never saw his retirement money, at least he'd get her $150. That was something. And he should probably take that Alaska Cruise he'd always wanted now, while he still had vacation pay.


	2. Clark and Lex

Title: Paradigm Shift  
Author: Drake of Dross  
Spoilers: All Seasons, AU after "Insurgence"  
Warning: slash, mpreg, hints of past incest  
Pairing: CLex  
Summary: sequel to Infinite Consequences. Who said second pregnancies were easier?

* * *

Clark Kent's freshman lit class had finished early so he beat Lex to the penthouse, but that was alright because the door opened for him easily enough. Lex had given him the security code almost as soon as he moved out to Metropolis. He was just finishing a ham and cheese sandwich when Lex got home. Clark grinned brightly at him, "Hey, Lex." 

Lex's answering smile was a little forced. "Hey, Clark." 

Suddenly concerned, Clark dropped the crumb covered plate into the sink, then moved to stand in front of his friend and brushed a thumb along his cheek. "What's wrong, Lex?" 

The bald billionare looked away. Not a good sign. Clark caught his chin and turned his face up and brushed a kiss over his lips. Lex responded quickly and enthusiastically. For a moment, Clark almost forgot that he was worried. The niggling concern fought though the white bliss of Lex's kiss, though, Clark broke them apart. 

"What's wrong, Lex?" he repeated, a little breathlessly now, but still firm. Doors closed behind Lex's eyes and that was very bad. "Lex," he tried again, a warning note starting to rise in voice. 

Lex pulled away and went to the bar. He poured a scotch but didn't drink it. He turned an angry glare on Clark. "Just drop it. If you push, I'll lie. I'm sure you're familiar with the process." 

For a moment, residual guilt gripped him, but he'd come clean with his secrets months ago and he thought Lex had as well. "Is this about Lionel?" Anger and protective instincts rose in him, though whether they screamed more strongly for Lex or his sister, he couldn't say. "Did he threaten you and Laura again?" 

Lex hunched over his tumbler and gripped it tightly, though he still didn't drink from it. "That's pushing, Clark, and I told you not to do that." The billionare's entire frame was taut with enough tension that he could probably be used to launch arrows. 

with a sigh, Clark came up behind him and began to massage the tight muscles of his friend's shoulders. "Fine, Lex. I'll let it go. For now." 

Lex relaxed and leaned back into his ministrations. "Thank you." 

Clark let his hand move down and lower. Lex hummed. Clark leaned in to suck on the hollow between Lex's collarbone and his neck. Lex groaned and gave him better access. Clark took advantage. "Let's take this to the bedroom," Lex suggested weakly when his knees buckled and only Clark's hands kept him upright. 

As this was a suggestion Clark was very happy with, he complied immediately, taking the opportunity to divest them both of their clothing as well. Lex didn't so much as comment on the sudden shift of his reality. Clark wondered if he was finally starting to consider it normal to be standing, fully clothed, in the living room one moment, and lying naked on his stomach in the bedroom the next. Clark straddled him, oil already in hand, and set to giving him a really good massage. Lex needed one. 

Despite his best intentions, it didn't stay platonic very long. It went way passed that line when he drizzled some oil into Lex's crack. "God! Clark!" Lex gasped, startled. Clark grinned, and began to massage down that way and then began to massage inside Lex. Prostrate glands need massaging, too. 

"Shit, Clark! Fuck!" 

"That an invitation?" Clark teased. 

"God, yes!" Clark started to ease his fingers out to get a condom, but Lex twisted into what had to be an uncomfortable position and grabbed his wrist. Clark stilled when he saw the bleak look in his eyes. "Forget the condom, Clark. There's no point." 

For a moment, Clark stared back, not comprehending what he was being told. Then he looked down at his lover. Looked _into_ his lover. He saw his fingers still inside where he'd forgotten them. He saw the unusual physiology that made up Lex's mutant reproductive system. He didn't see a baby. He looked closer. Then closer still. And he found the tiny little mass of cells that he only recognized as a zygote because Lex said there was one there. 

Blinking back to real vision, he looked back into Lex's eyes, feeling scared. "We're pregnant?" 

Lex laughed bitterly. "Yeah, if by 'we're preganant' what you really mean is 'Lex is going to carry the kid that makes Clark a father'." 

The world changed. Everything . . . Clark had understood the meaning of the phrase 'paradigm shift' before, but now he had experienced one. He hadn't quite realized just how literal the words were. He felt like the entire universe had just moved a few microns to the left or something. Everything looked the same, but nothing seemed like it was exactly where it had been. 

Clark was going to be a dad. 

He felt a giant smile cracking across his face. Distantly, he recognized the problems inherent in being a father right now, especially with Lex as the mother, but they weren't important at the moment. Right now was for basking in the knowledge that he, Clark Kent, was going to be a dad. A _dad_. 

His fingers slid out of Lex and he turned his paramour over onto his back as Clark bent down and caught him in a deep kiss. His hands traced over Lex's body, urging it to relax, and, slowly, it melted beneath him. Satisfied that Lex - beautiful, perfect Lex who was giving him this great gift - was comfortable, he slid his fingers back into his lover, stretching him gently, making sure he was prepared, not for the fucking that they'd been building toward, but a tender lovemaking to thank him. 

They were going to be parents. 

When they lay sated on the bed some time later, Lex held within Clark's arms, Lex said quietly, "So I take you want to keep the child?" 

Clark was too relaxed to be too concerned over the fact that Lex's track record suggested he wouldn't. "Mmm," he agreed, and nuzzled to back of Lex's neck. "We're gonna be _parents_, Lex," he said, awed. The body in his arms tensed for a moment, the relaxed again. Clark kissed the back of his head soothingly. "I love you." 

Lex said nothing, but Clark didn't take offense. Even if Lex didn't, _he_ knew how the billionare felt about him. He curled around him a little tighter. 

"Clark?" 

"Mmm?" 

The was a brief hesitation, then Lex asked, "You know I'm not your wife, right?" 

"Of course," Clark agreed, too happy at the moment to be concerned that his words had come too quickly or that they felt like a lie. He was going to be a dad. Lex was going to be a mom. They would be a family. That was the important thing. "Lex?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Is it a same sex marriage if one partner -" 

Lex twisted around put two fingers on his mouth, stopping the question. The look in his eye was dangerous. "Don't finish that question or I'll have to kill you." 

Clark breifly considered trying to finish it with 'is an alien?' instead, but decided a kiss was a better way to soothe Lex's wounded masculinity. Honestly though, he couldn't help but wonder, in the safety of his mind, how anyone who wore as much purple as Lex did could still have masculinity issues. And after Halloween, what remained should have been utterly demolished. Lex made a _very_ pretty lady. Even if it was a little disturbing that Lex could wear a dress and heels more convincingly and with fewer complaints than he could wear jeans and cowboy boots. Clark had been very careful not to ask about that.

* * *

Clark's arms felt safe around him. That bothered him. If a Luthor could admit to being scared, he might have said it did that, too. This was wrong. It was all wrong. Clark wasn't supposed to be happy about the situation. Clark was supposed to freak - no, he hadn't meant to tell Clark at all. Clark was supposed to freak later. Now, they were supposed to be carrying on like nothing had changed. He had wanted a few weeks of denial before he really got into the spin show. Sure, he'd expected things between him and Clark to be a little tense - it was supposed to make the eventual revelation of his 'affair' more believable. But he couldn't find anyone to have an 'affair' with, and now Clark knew and Clark was happy with it. He didn't need to comfort his single self with the lie that Clark was dumping him because he cheated and not because he was a freak. A pregnant freak. 

But he couldn't go public with _Clark_. Clark was just a college freshman. Clark needed to avoid media attention as much as possible. Bruce, Scott, Michael, whoever - their purpose, first and foremost, had to been to be Clark's decoy. To draw attention _away_ from the CEO's alien paramour when LexCorp announced they were doing research into male pregnancy and he was the first test subject. 

That wasn't going to work now. 

He'd called too many people trying to get a date to the museum opening. If he didn't come out himself, someone was going to help him come out in the worst possible way. But not with Clark. God. No, no it had to be with Clark. If they were going to 'adopt' a kid together in nine months, they needed to establish the relationship now. Dammit. 

"You're thinking too hard," Clark whispered into his ear. "I can smell the burning." 

Lex caught a hand that was stroking his hip and brought it to his mouth to kiss. "Be my date to a museum opening this friday." 

They were lying close enough together that he could _feel_ Clark's eyelashes against his skull as he blinked. "Your date? Lex, that's in public." 

"I know that." 

A breif hesitation then, "Okay, but we need to tell Mom and Dad before then." 

Shit. He'd forgotten they hadn't known yet. It was so much easier to pretend they weren't a hurdle to the relationship now that Clark lived in the Met U dorms instead of cloistered in the yellow farmhouse. Not that they'd been _in_ a relationship when Jonathan's shotgun had been such a clear and present danger. "Right. Want to tell them to expect you and a guest Thursday for dinner?" He would have suggested inviting them here, but between Jonathan not really liking the city and the need to find a sitter for the girls, it was far easier for Clark and Lex to go to Smallville than for Marth and Jonathan to leave, especially considering how fast Clark could make the trip. 

"Yeah, that'll work. We can tell them they're gonna be grandparents at the same time!" He sounded sickeningly excited about that. 

"Good idea," Lex agreed, trying not to sound dismal, "that way we get everything your father might want to shoot me for out in the open all at once." 

Clark rolled him onto his back and stole a kiss. "Don't worry, Mom'll get us first for having sex without - wait. Lex? How did you get pregnant?" 

"Condom broke, o ye of super strength." 

Propping himself up on his elbow, Clark frowned down at him in concern and guilt. "You didn't say anything." 

Lex pulled him down on top of him. "I wanted to know for sure, first. It might have been nothing. But while we're on the subject, you have nine months to get your fill of topping, because after this we're never going to do it again." 

Clark smiled, not believing him. "That's the pregnancy talking." 

"You're damn right it's the pregnancy talking. It's saying it never wants to happen again." 

Clark granted him another kiss. "Maybe your researchers can proscribe the Pill for you." 

Lex snorted. "Yeah, then it'll turn out to be ineffective on mutants and we'll have two kids. Abstinence is the way to go here." 

Hands skated down his body and cupped his ass. It had been maybe an hour since their last orgasm but he moaned and arched invitingly despite himself. Fingers slid inside, making their point as they brushed over his prostrate. "God," he gasped, already hard again. 

"You think you'll want to give this up, Lex?" Clark whispered, his breath heating his inner ear. 

"Fingers don't get me pregnant," he tried to compromise. 

More stroking and he arched and bucked beneath Clark's weight. He _felt_ Clark's smile against his ear. "You think we can stop here?" 

"Bastard!" Lex gasped as the fingers left him. "Vile seducer, spiteful tease. You just want a whole nest full of little Clarklings." 

"You're too coherent," Clark criticized, but then wet warmth surrounded Lex and after that coherency wasn't a problem anymore. He wasn't completely certain, but after his orgasm and Clark filled him for the second time in as many hours, he might have made a vow he really shouldn't have. 

Clark _probably_ wouldn't hold him to it. He hoped. He deferred judging on what exactly it was that he was hoping. 


	3. Martha and Jonathan

**Title:** Paradigm Shift  
**Author:** Drake of Dross  
**Spoilers:** All Seasons, AU after "Insurgence"  
**Warning:** slash, mpreg, hints of past incest  
**Pairing:** CLex  
**Summary:** Sequel to Infinite Consequences. Who said second pregnancies were easier?

* * *

Martha's first surprise was as early as tuesday evening when Clark called to announce he and a friend were coming to visit in two days. The surprise there was the friend. Clark often came by for dinner in the middle of the week, but he had yet to bring any of his new college friends even on a weekend. So when thursday came, she spent most of the afternoon making a nice turkey dinner with all the fixings. She even got Jonathan to take the twins out into the fields with him so they wouldn't be underfoot. 

By five o'clock, the girls were dressed in identical yellow sundresses with their hair brushed and tied back into braids. Martha knew it was just asking for Pippi Longstocking comments to put red hair up like that, but they were just so adorable in braids. She gave each a kiss on the top of their head, then subjected them each to a final inspection. They were almost the same height now, and between the red hair and dressing alike, they really did look like real sisters. There were obvious differences in the face, so they would never manage to pass for identical twins, but they could fool anyone over the fraternal twin deception.

"Play quietly up here until Clark comes home, okay, sweeties?"

"Kay," Cara agreed for them both. Laura was already rummaging in their toy box, so Martha decided it was safe to leave them alone long enough to set the table, get the turkey out of the oven, and find Jonathan to carve it.

Martha's second surprise was when the farm house's front door opened and Clark's voice called out, "Mom! Dad! Girls! I'm home!" The words were fine, it was his usual greeting. And the fact that there hadn't been the sound of a car was also normal for a Clark visit, but hadn't he been bringing a guest?

Little girl squeals of delight and excitement came from upstairs followed shortly by four little feet chasing each other along the upstairs hall and down the stairs. "Clark!" one of them yelled. "Uncle Lex!" screeched the other.

That was the third surprise. She wasn't sure why she'd been expecting a college student, but if Clark had meant Lex, why hadn't he _said_ he was bringing Lex? And where had the sound of expensive horsepower been when they arrived? She wiped her hands off on a dishtowel and went into the front hallway. Sure enough, there were Clark and Lex accepting hugs and kisses from the two girls. When Clark stood up, he had Cara in his arms, and Lex followed his example and rose with Laura clinging to his neck.

If the girls noticed that Laura was usually the twin shuffled closest to Lex, they hadn't mentioned it. Both of them adored him, though Jonathan blamed Lex's tendancy to shower them with gifts for that fondness. It had been hard enough getting a teenaged boy to give up the truck. It was impossible to take lollipops and dolls away from three year old girls.

"Got anything for us?" Laura asked eagerly, and Martha tsked at her. Lex gave Martha guilty smile - the boy _knew_ he was spoiling them rotten. Who needed grandparents when you could have an Uncle Lex?

He tapped Laura's nose, teasingly, "After dinner, or your mom'll shoot me."

"Mommy won't shoot you," Cara promised from Clark's arms, though her attention was focused solely on Lex as much as Laura's was.

"She will if I ruin your dinner," Lex insisted solemnly.

Laura shook her head, "Nu-uh, she'll fly you away to a big nest and tie you up!"

"And Clark will save you!" Cara added enthusiastically. She turned to smile sweetly at her brother, "Won't you, Clark? You'll save Uncle Lex for us after he gives us our present?"

Clark gave Martha a psuedo-wary look, which she returned with a mock glare and crossed arms. "Uh, Cara, love, I think Mommy is gonna tie me up with him." And then Clark . . . blushed.

Lex put Laura down, and grinned at Clark with a hint of . . . something . . . in his expression. Martha's maternal instincts went into high alert. "Well, at least I won't get lonely up there."

Clark blushed more. That was quite enough of whatever subtext what going on between those two. Martha clapped her hands together and frowned at all four of them. "Alright. Wash up for dinner all of you, and no gifts yet! Clark, you're the present police, don't let Lex sneak them any candy no matter how much they beg."

As the two young men herded the girls toward the bathroom, she thought she heard Clark say, "I take it I'm going to be the disciplinarian then, Mom?" but it seemed that he was talking to Lex, not her, and by the way Lex subtly shoulder checked her son, Lex apparently thought the same. It was a weird comment, though, and the maternal alerts jumped a few decibels.

She watched them over dinner. By the time the girls were bestowed with a chocolate bar each, she had seen Clark brush his fingers against Lex at least half a dozen times, and that didn't included the possessive resting of his hand on the small of Lex's back when he thought everyone's eyes were on the girls as they tore into the wrappers and proceeded to cover their faces with chocolate. Lex was more circumspect, only brushing against Clark once when he passed the potatoes, but he did not shy away from the touches received. When Jonathan chased the girls up to the tub, Martha turned on the boys.

"You're seeing each other," she stated, giving a pointed look at where Clark's hand now rested on Lex's hip after circling behind his back. Clark got something of a deer-in-the-headlights sort of look about him, but he did not pull away. Lex shifted in front of Clark and pulled both of her son's arms forward so they draped around the bald man's waist. This seemed to relax Clark some because he tightened his arms around Lex and rested his chin on his friend's shoulder. They looked very comfortable together.

"Yes," Lex stated, though their position answered the question more than adequately.

Jonanathan's heavy tread came down the stairs and she noticed Lex tense and glance toward the shotgun. He did not disentangle himself from Clark though. Clark drew in a deep breath and rubbed his nose against the side of Lex's head. "Shh," he whispered, and she was surprised to see Lex relax against him.

"The girls are in the ba- what the hell?" Jonathan apparently hadn't picked up on the hints over dinner. He sounded completely shocked. She supposed she had an advantage. Not only was she a mother, but she knew beyond the smallest shadow of a doubt that Lex liked men. She also knew that Clark knew that. Of the family, Jonathan was the only adult who had never quite worked out that Lex was Laura's mother, not her father.

"Lex and I have an announcement," Clark said.

"If you tell me that you went to Las Vegas again," Jonathan began in a warning tone, though what he'd do if they'd eloped, Martha couldn't guess.

"As forward thinking as Nevada is," Lex interrupted, "they haven't legalized same-sex marriages either."

Jonathan scowled at him.

"We're not married," Clark rephrased Lex's comment into more practical terms. "But we are pregnant."

"I'm pregnant," Lex added hastily, clarifying the statement before Martha could panic or Jonathan had a heart attack. "Clark is the father."

As much of a relief as it was that both boys didn't have a bun in the oven, Martha still had to sit down. Dazedly, she walked into the living room, pulling Jonathan along with her, and dropped onto the couch. The boys followed. Clark sat in Jonathan's armchair and made Lex sit in his lap. Jonathan had fallen onto the cushion next to Martha.

"It wasn't planned," Lex swore to them, as if Martha could possibly believe that Lex wanted this.

"Why - how - surely you used _protection_?" Martha managed to get out.

Lex nodded, "We did, but the condom broke." Clark flushed red and buried his head against Lex's back. Cowardly child, he probably pulled Lex down into his lap for that very purpose. If Martha had to listen to a man talk about using broken condoms with her son, her son better well be participating in the conversation as well.

Jonathan, however, took that moment to prove he was faring worse with the subject matter than Clark was. He launched to his feet and had Lex by the front of his shirt before Martha realized he wasn't still sitting in shock. Clark, sitting underneath Lex, was in a bad position to pull them apart and was awkardly trying to shift them around so that he could get up without hurting either his boyfriend or his father.

"Jonathan!" Martha shouted, while Clark tried an outraged, "Dad! Stop it!" Lex seemed resigned to the treatment and she made a note to box his ears for that later. Jonathan himself was rather senselessly telling Lex to say away from his son while shoving the boy's back into said son's chest.

Martha grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled. She wasn't strong enough to physically yank him away, but he fell back anyway. He let himself be shoved back onto the couch and he stared at Lex as if seeing him for the very first time. And instead of finding the arrogant businessman he was expecting, he found something even more alien than Clark. Lex straightened his collar and glared back, determined not to be cowed either by the assault or the look.

"You're pregnant," Jonathan repeated.

Lex's spine stiffened, but he nodded. "Yes."

They were silent for a long moment. Clark fidgetted, then lifted Lex up enough to slide out from beneath him. "I'll get the girls out of the tub before they turn into prunes," he excused himself before fleeing the room's uncomfortable silence. Jonathan startled beside her as he apparently made a realization. "Damn," he whispered, then slumped forward, dropping his head into his hands. "You knew, Martha," he said, his voice a little muffled.

"I knew what?" she asked, completely mystified. Lex's pregnancy had came as a shock to her, and that _Clark_ was responsible had stolen the strength from her.

"That Lex is Laura's mother."

Across the coffee table, Lex's expression turned pained. "I prefer the term 'biological parent'." That wasn't the same thing as a denial, though, and Jonathan's head came up to really study the young man sitting before them. Lex didn't so much as shift his weight under the scrutiny.

Jonathan grimaced, swore, then stuck a hand out toward the young man. "Welcome to the family," he grated out grudgingly. Martha smiled and patted her husband's shoulder approvingly. It was a start, and she was sure she could bring him around.

Lex, on the other hand, looked utterly flummoxed. Martha suspected it was ingrained habit alone that let him accept the handshake. "Thank you, Mr. Kent," he managed to articulate.

If Jonathan's smile was a little vicious, and his words a little cruel, at least it was another step in the right direction. "None of that, Lex, you're going to be my daughter-in-law. Call me Jonathan."

Lex tensed, and anger flashed across his expression before he stamped down on it. "You don't mock Clark for his differences, don't mock me for mine."

And there it was. Both Martha and Jonathan went completely still. Fury flashed anew in his eyes, but he kept his voice lowered as he lashed his words into them, "Don't give me that, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. Putting aside that _Clark_ trusts me with this, I am _pregnant_ with your son's _child_. Even if I didn't find the whole idea repellant and a guaranteed method of losing Clark, whomever you imagine I'd sell him off to would be just as delighted to get their hands on me, and that's _before_ they realize that the fetus inside me is less than half-human. So lay off the Kentish secrecy because, frankly, I need to know. What do you think would have happened if I tried to get an abortion and it turned out the fetus was as invulnerable as Clark is? There's only so much I can blame on my own mutant biology."

Martha closed her eyes and made herself breathe deeply. There was no doubt in her mind that if Clark had been human, she would have had to wait a few more years (or possibly forever) for her first grandchild and not even Clark would ever have been the wiser.

Jonathan, when he did manage to speak, sounded contrite. "Look, son, it's not easy to break twenty years of habit but, for what it's worth, I'll try."

Martha opened her eyes in time to see most of the anger drain from Lex as he sat back in the armchair. He offered a weak smile, first to Jonathan, then to her, "Thank you. I'm going to be taking enough abuse from the rest of the world over the next few months, I don't need it from you, too."

A whole different set of maternal alarms burst into sudden and urgent klaxons. She moved from the couch and sat down on the arm of Lex's chair. She wanted to draw him into a hug and if he had been Clark, or even Pete, Chloe, or Lana, she would have, but something stopped her and she put a hand on his shoulder instead. "Lex, honey, we're here for you, always remember that. You're family, sweetie." A few years ago, she probably wouldn't have called any grown man besides Clark or Jonathan 'sweetie', but raising toddlers did strange things to a mother's vocabulary.

Lex looked up at her with a slightly disbelieving expression, but then something behind his eyes changed as she held his gaze, and Martha pulled him into a fierce hug. "Shh, baby," she murmured, even though he wasn't actually crying. For Lex, she imagined, letting himself be held like this was as close as he got. "We'll get through this together."

They sat like that, Martha awkwardly perched on Lex's chair arm with Lex curled into her embrace, and Jonathan sitting across from them toying with a coaster on the coffee table, until Clark came back down the stairs. "The girls are in bed, they want Uncle Lex to read their bedtime story," he said quietly, taking in the tableau.

Lex drew in a deep breath and pulled away. He gave a smile that fought hard to reach his eyes. "Well, then, we can't disappoint the twins, now can we?" He stood and went up the stairs, his gait becoming more confident with every step. By the time he reached the girls' room, Martha figured he'd be back to his normal self.

Once he was out of earshot, she turned on Clark. "You had sex with Lex," she accused, advancing menacingly on the young man whom she had raised as her son. "You _knew_ he could get pregnant, and you did it anyway. Don't even think about blaming red kryptonite, young man, because I won't believe it."

Clark appeared to wilt before her, even as he blushed deeply. "We used condoms," he tried. As defenses went, it was weak.

Martha poked a finger against his chest, "I don't care. They can break and Lex, even more so than any girl you could have dated, should not be put in this position. Clark, the boy is scared, and he has every reason to be. Do you know how much danger you've put him in? You can hide your powers. Lex's are about to be put on public display. He's not twenty-two anymore. He can't just hide in the castle this time."

* * *


	4. Lionel and Cat Grant

**Title:** Paradigm Shift  
**Author:** Drake of Dross  
**Spoilers:** All Seasons, AU after "Insurgence"  
**Warning:** slash, mpreg, hints of past incest  
**Pairing:** CLex  
**Summary:** Sequel to Infinite Consequences. Who said second pregnancies were easier?

* * *

Lionel presided over the museum opening as a king does over his court. It was, after all, a Luthorcorp sponsored exhibit and a Luthorcorp sponsored event. He had found, transported, and fostered interest in the collection of ancient swords. He had final say over the list of invitees fortunate enough to be present at the initial showcase. He even had his own security people at the doors checking the guests. He also greeted each of the guests as they arrived, networking and accepting due praise for the effort put into the opening. 

The 'fashionably late' crowd was just beginning to trickle in when he caught the first whisper that his son was planning some form of corporate sabotage for the evening. "Have you seen Lex yet?" a young man that Lionel could identify only as the Exeter Financial heir asked his date, the daughter of Brighton Electrical's CEO.

The unnatural blonde girl craned her neck, but was unsuccessful in locating Lex, whom Lionel knew had not yet arrived. "No, why?" she asked.

The boy's voice lowered, and Lionel was only barely able to make out the words, "Just keep an eye out for him. He's supposed to make a splash tonight."

Lionel pressed his lips together, and made his way to the door where he told his men to pull Lex aside when he got there and inform Lionel of his arrival. He had worked too hard for tonight for his ingrate son to upset the three deals he had riding on it. He would also have to figure out who had leaked the information that tonight wasn't just about antique weapons, though it was altogether possible Lex was just playing a hunch.

He returned to his meet and greet routine until Eduardo, his chief of security, drew up alongside him and spoke in a low voice, "The younger Mr. Luthor is here."

Lionel made his excuses and pulled away from the President of the First Metropolitan Bank and his wife. Returning with Eduardo to the entrance, he found Lex looking irritated at being kept from entering. The farmboy, Clark Kent, was beside him, trying to calm him down.

Any progress Kent might have made was lost as Lex caught sight of Lionel and his eyes narrowed and his back stiffened. "Dad. I was invited. Why am I being held at the door?"

Lionel studied his son, taking in the well tailored suit and the equally fine one being worn by Kent. Both were presentable for the black tie affair, so that wasn't his rebellion of the evening. Kent's hair had even been tamed to something resembling order. Lex was both sober and indignant at being refused entrance, almost as if he were innocent of any malevolent plans. Lionel would not be so easily fooled. "Did you search them?" he asked Eduardo.

One of the other security men answered, "They're clean, sir. No wiretaps, cameras, bugs, or other surveillance equipment. Neither do they have weapons, chemicals, drugs, or incindiary devices."

For a moment, Lex and Kent both stared at the man in disbelief, then Lex turned the expression on Lionel. "What did you think I was up to?" Lionel was fairly certain the shock was genuine.

So whatever 'splash' the boy was planning, it wouldn't involve physical casualties, either of the human or priceless antique varieties. More surprising, he wasn't preparing for an information siege either. "I don't know, Lex," Lionel said, as if not being completely apprised of Lex's plot wasn't anything to be concerned about. In the time between when he'd first heard the rumor and when Lex had shown up, he'd heard several more queries about Lex's whereabouts. Lionel's guests had clearly been primed for some sort of stunt and he was not going to just blithely allow the boy in to perform it. "You tell me what you're up to or you can just turn around and go back to your penthouse."

Lex's eyes flashed in anger, though whether that was at the high-handed treatment or in response to his plans being thwarted, Lionel couldn't tell. Kent put a hand on Lex's arm and spoke his name softly in warning. Lex relaxed marginally, but he continued to glare at Lionel. "You can't just send me away."

"Watch me," Lionel challenged. "You are not setting foot inside the museum until I know why everyone in there is waiting with baited breath for you to arrive."

Lex blinked in obvious surprise. He could be faking it, but Lionel didn't think he was. The trepidation in his eyes as he looked toward the door was also unlikely to be feigned, if for no other reason than because Lex knew better than to voluntarily show weakness. "Who? Who was asking about me?"

It was looking more and more likely that whatever was going on was a plot against Lex rather than a plot devised by him. "The Exeter boy," Lionel offered first.

"Scott," Lex growled, obviously knowing the heir better than Lionel did. Neither did he seem at all surprised by the name.

"George Lieverhotz's son."

"Bradley," Lex supplied that first name as well, apparently not liking that boy any more than Scott Exeter. And again, he reacted almost as though he expected it.

"Kensington's heir."

That one did seem to surprise Lex. "_George_ Kensington?" Regardless of whether or not Lex had anticipated Kensington's involvement, Lionel was certain his son had a good idea of what was going on, even if he wasn't behind the situation that had developed. "Lex, tell me what's happening."

Lex looked . . . skittish almost. Like he wanted to flee but was too much a Luthor to just leave the field of battle. He made an effort to composing his expression to one of confident arrogance as he met Lionel's gaze. It was an excellent example of bravado at its finest, but it ran only surface deep. The nearly defiant way Lex lifted his chin just before he spoke reminded Lionel unfavourably of his son's clubbing days. Years ago, that chin movement would have meant 'You're not paying enough attention to me so I'm about to do something increadibly stupid just so you have to pay huge sums of money to keep our name out of the Inquisitor.' Fortunately, Lex seemed to have have grown out of that habit somewhere around his eighteenth birthday. "They want to see who I conned into being my date."

Frowning at Lex's answer to his demand, Lionel looked around but didn't see anyone impatiently kicking her heels while waiting for Lex to get his admission straightened out. Something wasn't adding up. Had Lex been trying to find an inappropriate guest? A street hooker perhaps, or a married woman, or an heiress of one of Lionel's enemies? Fortunately, that plot seemed to have fallen through. "Apparently, you failed to produce anyone."

Lex shook his head, "No, Dad. You don't understand. I asked Scott and Bradley."

Lex was correct. Lionel didn't understand. "To find you a date?" Surely the boy could handle that much without help, even going after inappropriate women. He'd never had trouble in that department before.

"No. To _be_ my date." Lionel noted the frown that breifly crossed Kent's face, and the way the farmer's son moved marginally closer to Lex and placed a hand on his arm again. He couldn't bring himself to consider what those things meant, though. Couldn't apply the word 'possessive' to the actions. He was still trying to understand what Lex had said, trying to make it make sense, but it wasn't possible. What the words seemed to say couldn't be right. Lex wouldn't do that to himself, not now. LexCorp was in the Fortune 500. He was rising fast and only a few places behind LuthorCorp.

But there he was, stepping closer still to Kent and not protesting as Kent's arms wrapped around his waist. Possessively. There was no mistaking it this time.

It didn't make _sense_. Lionel didn't understand what Lex was doing. What he was suggesting was social, economic, and political suicide. Yes, the backwash would hurt Lionel, but it would cripple Lex. They may not be on the best of terms right now, but Lex didn't hate Lionel _that_ much.

And Lionel did not hate Lex enough to let him go through with it. "Go back to the penthouse, Lex," he ordered. "You're not going in there like this." Perhaps the boy wasn't as sober as he looked. That was the only explanation Lionel could come up with short of considering the possibility of a psychotic break.

Lex's eyes drifted back to the door then back to him. "It's too late, Dad. I didn't ask George. Word's already spreading that tonight's my coming out party." He straightened, trying to look down at Lionel even though he was an inch shorter, "I'm not going to hide this, Dad."

Lex may have an inexplicable urge to destroy himself, but Lionel had no such death wish, not for himself, and not for his son. "Eduardo, take him back to my penthouse. See that he isn't allowed out."

Lex stiffened in outrage and opened his mouth to argue, but Eduardo was moving in. Kent unstooped his shoulders, proving he was a good four inches taller than Lex and two taller than Eduardo. He shoved Lex behind him and stared down Eduardo, giving every impression that he could toss the security man clear across the plaza should he so choose. Eduardo hesitated, giving the boy the opportunity to intone, "You're not taking Lex anywhere." It was an impressive display of intimidation tactics for a Smallville farmer's son. Any bodyguard would have been envious.

Lex disregarded Eduardo entirely, barely seemed to notice Kent's manhandling, and continued to glower at Lionel. "I am not some little kid for you to order around anymore, Dad." His eyes darted beyond Lionel, back toward the door again. "You can't lock me away like some misbehaving child." His voice was raised a little too loudly for Lionel to be comfortable with, but Lex had always been emotional.

"When you stop acting like a misbehaving child, I will stop treating you like one," Lionel snapped back, his voice sharp but not loud. "Straighten yourself out now before you embarrass yourself."

His eyes flashed in anger. "So I'm being denied entrance to this event because I'm gay?"

Lionel was not stupid. They were on a public street. Anybody could be listening. The way Lex kept looking at the door suggested they already had an audience of some sort. Homophobic discrimination was nearly as damaging as homosexuality. "You're being denied entrance because you are clearly not yourself tonight and I don't want you to do anything you'll regret."

Lex sneered, disbelieving him though this was perhaps the one time that Lionel spoke only the truth, "You're a liar and a hypocrite, Dad. Come on," this to last was spoken to Kent, "We'll have more fun at the penthouse anyway." Kent gave a final glare to Eduardo, a spare one to Lionel, then wrapped a possessive arm around Lex as they walked away.

When Lionel turned to go back into the museum he was dismayed to find the audience that had gathered to watch the confrontation was far larger than a few nosy security guards. He recogized at least one tabloid reporter among them and saw two flashes go off. He expected to see Lex held in Kent's arms on at least one front page tomorrow.

* * *

Lex knew they had been followed from the museum, and he stopped Clark in front of doors to the LexCorp building. "Photographer," he muttered under his breath, "Push me against the wall and kiss me. Give him a good shot of my face." 

Clark glanced around, probably using x-ray vision to pinpoint the reporter's exact location, then pressed Lex's back against the cool smooth marble of the building. Clark captured his mouth and Lex shortly stopped caring much about the reporter at all. It was somehow different, kissing Clark in front of the world. This was real. It wasn't just a wonderful dream that he'd eventually wake from. The flash of a camera proved that. He associated papparrazzi with nightmares, not Clark.

He kissed Clark back, enjoying the freedom of not needing to keep this a secret any longer. Monday was going to bring a LexCorp stock crisis, but there was nothing to be done about that right now. Time enough to deal with it over the weekend. He'd make a pat PR speech in the morning about his personal affairs being personal. Tonight, though, was for showing the world that he wasn't ashamed of his personal affairs. If he felt like an exhibitionist as the flash went off again while Clark untucked his tuxedo's shirt and slid his hands up against the skin of Lex's torso, it was a good feeling. His own fingers pulled, tugged, and ran through Clark's hair. He loved Clark's hair, the soft texture, the unruly curls. Tonight's gelled tidiness was vastly inferior to its natural state, but Lex would take what he got.

Another flash when Lex threw his head back as Clark bit into his neck and slipped his fingers beneath the waistbands of his trousers and briefs. Oh, God, if that one made it onto the front page, Mrs. Kent was going to tan both their hides. "Clark," he gasped, "Penthouse. Now." A final flash as Clark scooped Lex unceremoniously up into his arms and carried him over the threshhold into the building. He wasn't put down again until they were in the express elevator and rising quickly up to the top floor apartment. He wanted to protest the treatment, but Clark picked up where they had left off outside, and the complaint that he'd be effeminated for that stunt died under the assault.

The elevator chimed and he was lifted up again. This time it wasn't a bad thing because there were no witnesses and it was less than a moment later that he was being deposited on his bed stark naked. Superspeed was a beautiful thing. He just hoped Clark hadn't torn any of their clothes this time. Then Clark was atop him and clothes were really the last thing on his mind.

* * *

The Inquisitor ran the last picture on their front page. It was blown up large and covered most of the area above the fold except for the headline and a single column of text along the right hand side. His head was in profile and unmistakable. Clark, fortunately, was only shown from the back as he carried Lex through the doors of the LexCorp building. The headline boldly declared, 'A Blushing Bride? Lex Luthor Bats Both Sides.' 

Below the fold, a smaller copy of the biting picture was displayed without any concern for decency. It was a close-up of their heads, Clark's shown mostly as a gelled mop of dark hair and a strong jaw. Lex's face was clear and, by his expression, it looked like he'd been caught having sex outright. Thankfully, his collar was, just barely, in the picture, so there was at least some indication that he was still clothed. He only wanted a _minor_ scandal about this.

He could feel eyes on him as he walked through the lobby and halls of LexCorp on his way up to his office. The red mark on his neck from where Clark had been caught marking what was his for jounalistic posterity felt like it had a neon sign drawing everyone's attention to it. He was also certain that there must be a sign hanging around his neck announcing, 'I'm Homosexual!' to anyone who hadn't already read the Inquistor's article.

And since when did so many people in his company work on Saturdays anyway?

In his office, the PR people were already waiting and looking distinctly unhappy with him. The Inquisitor's article was laid out on his desk, unfolded, so the full impact of the entire front page could be seen. The Daily Planet's Society section was also there, a picture of him and Clark walking away from the museum with Clark's arm around Lex's waist taking up the lead spot on the section's front page. That one's headline read, 'Lex Luthor and Date Turned Away.'

"It was dark and these guys used flashes," Henry Goldman, his assistant PR Director, accused. "You must have seen these get taken. Why didn't you or your father get gag orders out?"

Lex looked up from skimming the text of the Daily Planet article, which mostly covered the confrontation outside the museum. "I did gag them," he stated calmly. He tapped the 'and Date' part of the Daily Planet headline. "Neither paper used my date's name or printed his face." Not that either had Clark's name to print, and Lex would like keep it that way, at least at first.

The lead PR man, Robert Ferrier, rubbed at his temples. "Please tell me he's not married."

Lex shook his head. "Nothing like that. He's unmarried and of age. The only thing illicit is our common gender. I just don't want him getting stalked."

Goldman frowned, watching Lex with narrowed eyes. "This was deliberate on your part. Why?"

Lex stood and walked to the window, looking out over Metropolis. "We've been together since November." He paused, giving them the time to do the arithmetic, to determine the relationship was in its fifth month. Both PR men were perfectly well aware that most of his attempts at dating ended badly and quickly, usually with two weeks. One month on the outside, if there were ulterior motives involved.

Five months was unprecedented. Only Helen had come close, and she'd left after three to pursue an opportunity at John Hopkins. Lex turned away from the window to look at the two men. "It's serious. We're talking about adopting a kid as early as sometime this year. This," he waved at the newspapers on his desk, "is preliminary to announcing our intent to become life partners." Clark and he had talked about that last night and again that morning. They'd worked out a plan. He met each of his employees' eyes in turn. "This isn't a phase. It's not going to pass. From now on, I'm monogamously gay, and Metropolis had best get used to it. If you can't handle that, the door is right over there."

Neither took him up on the offer, and within an hour, they had worked out statement to give the press. They left out the parts about life partnering and children, not wanting to shock Kansas too badly all at once, but the gist of what he'd told Ferrier and Goldman held true. He was gay, and unafraid to say so. He was in a committed relationship with another man. He had been for some time and felt the relationship was now strong enough to expose to the public. If you had a problem with it, you could go screw yourself.

The last part, Ferrier made him word differently.

After the speech, the floor had been opened for questions. The number and variety were astounding, ranging from the factual ("What is the name of your boyfriend?") to the crude ("How long have you taken it in the backdoor?") to the practical ("Do you think this will hurt LexCorp?"). And just about everything in between. "Were all the women just for show?" "How did you meet?" "Why come out now?" "What does he do for a living?"

Lex held up his hands, waiting for them to quiet again before picking a few of his favourites. "My suitor and I have decided not to reveal his name immediately. We will release that information when we deem his residence secure for his increased level of public scrutiny. As for LexCorp, I do expect a small dip in stock prices. However, I feel confident that the business community will realize that my personal life is just that. Personal. My sexuality has no bearing on how I do business. LexCorp has proven itself a strong, stable, and innovative company and that will not change."

"Mr. Luthor!" Lex stopped talking as a woman wearing a badge from the Daily Planet called out his name. He'd taken her out once. No, twice. Slept with her both times. What was her name? "Can't you give us _a_ name? We can't exactly call this guy 'Lex Luthor's Mysterious Suitor' all the time."

Ah, right, that was it. Cat. He leaned forward a little bit toward the mike, a genuine smirk of amusement breaking through his public face as he drawled, "Actually, that doesn't sound too bad, Ms. Grant. You must admit, he rather defines 'tall, dark, and handsome.'"

She snorted. "Careful, Luthor," she taunted, her complete lack of propriety without crossing the line into rudeness reminded him of why he'd liked her enough to date more than once. "I might mistake you for having a streak of romantacism."

Perhaps he should have stopped there and gone on to another question, either denying that possibility outright, or implying the denial by bringing up stock prices again. Under normal circumstances he would have. Under normal circumstances he was not recently outed, free to say or do whatever he pleased about his anonymous boyfriend so long as he was okay with Clark hearing it eventually. Under normal circumstances, he wasn't a little over a week pregnant with all kinds of foreign hormones flooding his system. Under normal circumstances, he ran his press conferences more professionally as he was generally making statements about LexCorp rather than himself; he wouldn't have been bantering with one of the reporters in the first place.

Whatever the cause, what he actually said was, "I think my reputation's safe so long as you don't start using words like 'courtship' and 'wooing', Ms. Grant."

He should have known she'd take that as a challenge. Cat Grant was on the society beat in first place because she couldn't keep her pen to herself. As far as his lawyers could make out, she had written two accounts of the press conference for the newly appointed Editor-in-Chief Perry White. One carried the Don't-Fuck-With-Me tone he'd wanted to convey. The other was all but a fantasy story, with his name replacing the beautiful princess's. And yet it hit all the same major points as the more serious factual one, albeit mixed in with such things as white steeds (because Mysterious Suitor was, of course, a knight in shining armor) and evil kings (though, to be fair, she'd cast Lionel in that role and it really was quite appopriate). White printed both articles (with a disclaimer on the second stating it was a parody). The paper had even managed to obtain the rights to print the Lex-carried-over-the-threshold picture from the Inquisitor alongside 'The Courtship of Lex Luthor' by Cat Grant.

Lex was seriously torn between suing the Planet and framing the Society front page. His PR people advised suing would only add to the bad publicity about him while, if they were lucky, doing nothing would show Lex 'had a sense of humor'. However, they also cautioned that doing nothing would probably reinforce the image of Lex as a 'fair maiden'. The air quotes as Ferrier said that were practically audible. Lex decided to suck it up and accept that his masculinity was going to suffer anyway and he may as well not get on the Planet's bad side.

He was pretty sure his father was torn between suing the Planet and pretending the second version didn't exist. He honestly didn't know why the man opted for the latter. Lex's best guess was that Lionel was waiting for him to clean up his own mess.

Clark found it hilarious.

When Wall Street opened on Monday, Luthorcorp initially lost a point while LexCorp dropped three. LexCorp recovered half a point after lunch, likely in response to buyers picking up stock at the undervalued price, then both companies held steady. Lex wasn't worried about it. He could get two and half points back when he signed that contract with ElectroTech next Thursday.

* * *


	5. Lex

**Title:** Paradigm Shift  
**Author:** Drake of Dross  
**Spoilers:** All Seasons, AU after "Insurgence"  
**Warning:** slash, mpreg, hints of past incest  
**Pairing:** CLex  
**Summary:** Sequel to Infinite Consequences. Who said second pregnancies were easier?

* * *

There had been a slight miscalculation somewhere in Lex's plans. He still wasn't quite sure where, but he suspected either Clark or Cat Grant of being to blame. Perhaps both. No, quite certainly both. Yes, both were the problem. They had synergy together. He hadn't accounted for it. He could have handled one or the other seperately, but with both of them after him, they were greater than the sum of their parts. Worse, with Cat involved, it was spreading. 

It hadn't been a one time thing. He had thought it would be. It had been immensely popular, far too popular for Lex's liking, but it had just been one article. Not even real news, but a _parody_, printed right alongside the real story. Had his PR people realized it was only the first in a series, they would have never recommended simply ignoring it.

Though, according to Chloe, who was working part-time at the Planet while she also went to Metropolis University with Clark, the very fact that the Luthor lawyers _hadn't_ decended in force after the first one was what gave them the idea and bravery to put the Courtship of Lex Luthor into syndication. They had precendent with them now, _and_ it sold papers.

Metropolis could't read enough about their very own home-grown fairytale, especially when the rumour about a possible disinheritance started to spread. Lex still wasn't altogether convinced that Cat hadn't made that one up herself.

On the positive side, public opinion, against all odds, seemed to favour the match. Granted, the public knew next to nothing about 'Myst, the Mysterious Suitor', but Cat's stories painted him as very noble and a perfect protector for their prince. Desite years of having a bad boy reputation, followed by more years of being a notorious playboy, Lex wasn't sure where Cat was coming up with the inspiration to portray him as a trouble magnet constantly in need of rescue, and he certainly couldn't understand why the hell anybody was _believing_ it.

Just because Clark had stopped three guys from punching him in the face (only one of which had he deserved) and pulled him out of the way of a wild taxi while they were crossing a street was no reason to blow everything entirely out of proportion and say he needed a knight to keep him safe. Worse, Clark insisted on playing the gallant whenever they went out. He was a perfect gentleman about it, but that was the main crux of the problem right there. _Clark_ had publically taken the role of the gentleman. Clark held doors open for Lex. Clark pulled out chairs for Lex to sit in.

One date had been the annual Cancer Research Charity Ball, and when they had danced, Clark had _led_. Granted, it had felt really great to be held in Clark's arms, swaying to sappy slow music, in front of God, Press, and Lionel, and have nobody say even one sour word about it. But. Clark. Had. Led.

And Clark was always touching him. Light, gentle, feather-light touches that barely registered, but were always _there_. Lex knew what he was doing. So did everyone else with eyes. Clark was unsubtly letting the world know Lex was taken. Possessed. Owned. Clark's.

He wouldn't mind so much if he was permitted to play the gentleman with Clark, too, but he wasn't. The only thing he was allowed to do as a proper gentleman should was pay the bill. Any time he tried anything beyond that, Clark gave him a look like what he was doing was completely insane and inappropriate, then seemlessly took over the action. When Lex tried giving the same look back at him, Clark just looked so crushed it wasn't worth fighting the issue.

Five weeks after their public debut, Lex gave up his futile resistance and accepted what the rest of Metropolis had known for a month. Lex Luthor was being courted for real. He entered the five star restraunt they had chosen to patronize that evening, stepping through the door that Clark held open for him as if that was his due. He reached the table first and waited for Clark to pull out his chair for him. He accepted the light touches of ownership with a demure smile. Fine. Lex could take a hint. Metropolis wanted a storybook courtship? They'd get a storybook courtship.

Hell, it might even lift stock prices. His financial analysts couldn't find any other explanation for the half point rise the day after Clark dramatically saved him from the taxi.

It still took him by surprise in the third month. Back when they made their original plan, before Cat Grant changed everything, they'd decided the third month would be when they announced their intent to become life partners. At the time, he had imagined they'd do it by a press conference. He'd stand at a podium, state for the public record that the relationship was a point where they felt confident that they could make a life committment to one another. Heartfelt, certainly, but rather dry and a done deal.

Never would he have imagined Clark approaching the band during the Heart Association Charity Ball, borrowing the lead singer's microphone, and calling for everyone's attention before dropping down to one knee on the raised platform and saying over the sound system, for all and sundry to hear, "Lex Luthor, will you marry me?"

It had been completely unplanned. Well, _Clark_ had clearly put quite a lot of planning into it, seeing as he had a ring and everything, but Lex was taken entirely by surprise. The lights people dropped a spotlight on him, standing beside the buffet table with a flute of sparkling water that he hoped everyone thought was champagne half raised to his lips.

For a long moment, Lex could only gape, trying to process what Clark had done, in public, without going through either him or his PR people first. There were flashes of camera's as reporters jumped at the chance to capture, on film, the unprecidented sight of Lex Luthor stunned speechless. They kept on flashing as, even more embassingly, Lex's eyes filled with tears. That was entirely the fault of the damn pregnancy, of course, but only six people on Earth knew about that, so the planet was going to think he was some kind of sentimental fool who was absurdly touched by the idea that his beloved would do something like this to propose to him. _Propose_. To him. Because that wasn't the case at all.

He wasn't sure how he got to the band's dias, whether he walked under his own power or hands had pushed him along, urging him up to the front of the room. But he got there. And he wrapped his arms around Clark (where the flute of water went was anybody's guess), and Clark's arms wrapped around him. And the tears that had previously been content just to stand in his eyes, chose now to tumble out and down his face. He was crying and laughing and repeating one word over and over again. And they were close enough to the microphone still that it picked it up.

"Yes, yes, oh, God, yes."


End file.
